


I Carry My Own Skeleton Key

by WolfSquish



Series: WolfSquish's 31 Days of Shipping Spring 2021 [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships, could be read as friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 12:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30004908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfSquish/pseuds/WolfSquish
Summary: Harry and Charlie find out they have more in common than they thought.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Charlie Weasley, Harry Potter/Charlie Weasley
Series: WolfSquish's 31 Days of Shipping Spring 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2197452
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22
Collections: 31 Days of Shipping Challenge - Spring 2021





	I Carry My Own Skeleton Key

Charlie was standing off to the side a little, even though he was one of many groomsmen for Ron’s wedding. The pictures had all been taken though, and Harry couldn’t help but notice that Charlie all but fled without actually leaving the wedding. 

Ron was much too busy with his family, and his new spouse, to notice his brother looking increasingly uncomfortable, but Harry noticed. He’d always noticed Charlie, and Bill too, he supposed, though Bill had Fleur to look after him. More and more though, Harry realised that no one was looking after Charlie, not even to be a buffer for him to keep Mrs Weasley’s overbearing concern at bay. 

Harry finished the merlinawful champagne in his flute and made his way over to Charlie. He just barely made it to him before Mrs Weasley did, and pulled him onto the dance floor so she didn’t have a reason to complain. 

“I don’t actually know how to dance.” Charlie pointed out as they sort of swayed along with the music. 

“Me neither, unless you count the horrible never to be mentioned again experience that was the Yule ball.” 

So they swayed for a few songs before inevitably ending up at the refreshments table, laden with Mrs Weasley’s cooking and all kinds of liquors Harry’d never heard of before. 

Harry grabbed a glass of something at random and turned to Charlie with a raised eyebrow. “You adore your family, Ron included, enough to smuggle an illegal dragon out of the country. What gives?” He didn’t mean the hiding from Mrs Weasley, she could be overbearing on any day but especially so when she was emotional. He meant the pulling away from the wedding party altogether, the making himself a ghost at his brother’s wedding. 

Charlie sighed and picked at a roll he’d picked up from the table. “Bill got married during the war. George got married shortly after. Ginny adopted as a single mum. Percy’s shacking up with Wood, and probably will marry him as soon as he realises we all know. And now Ron’s married too. Everyone’s got someone, is giving mum grandkids and happiness. And I’m just..” Charlie shrugged and gulped down some pumpkin juice. 

“Just what?” Harry asked, hearing something in Charlie’s tone that called to him, that screamed of wanting someone to be  _ there _ always, in his corner, ready with a hug and a smile when needed and never abandoning him for their partner. He’d confused it with wanting romance at first, but that wasn’t it. It was a desire to be someone’s first priority, regardless of how that looked. 

Charlie looked at him closely for a few moments, as if weighing whether or not to confide. “I just want a mate that won’t go home to someone that isn’t me at the end of the day, I suppose.” He scratched at the back of his neck and cleared his throat before he looked away. 

“Well, Ron’s moving out once he gets back from the honeymoon. Gets lonely when it’s just me.” Harry’s heart was pounding in his chest, the same way it had back when he’d first kissed Ginny, and now he understood that that hadn’t been attraction, but rather longing. No, not longing.  _ Be _ longing. 


End file.
